UN's Annan 'Pessimistic' About Darfur

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the situation in Sudan's Darfur region is deteriorating, and he is calling for a stronger international action to fix the matter.

Writing in Wednesday's Washington Post newspaper, Mr. Annan says recent events in Darfur have changed his view of the region from hopeful to pessimistic.

He says rebels and Sudanese government forces routinely break a cease-fire, and that many areas are now too dangerous for relief workers to reach. He says two million people have been displaced from their homes.

Mr. Annan says African Union troops make a valiant effort to provide security but that there are too few of them to cover the vast region.

He calls on U.N. members to increase the size of the peacekeeping force and pressure the combatants to put down their weapons and work towards peace.